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The Coalition joint party room will meet in Canberra today to revisit the government’s policy on marriage equality, with the issue shaping up as a de facto vote on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership.
The five Liberal MPs urging the Coalition to allow a free vote will argue that the government can pass the reform on its terms by enshrining legal protections for marriage celebrants personally opposed to conducting same-sex wedding ceremonies. Polling in the MPs’ electorates indicates their constituents overwhelmingly support a parliamentary vote on the issue rather than a plebiscite, giving the group yet more reason to cross the floor if the government maintains its opposition to a conscience vote.
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Alex McKinnon, The Saturday Paper
